Rats and Disease
Rats are significant carriers of diseases, earning them the nickname "germ elevators" due to their contact with raw sewage and other contaminated sources. They often harbor various bacteria and viruses in their bloodstream, and the parasites in their fur can transmit these illnesses to humans. Rats can transfer over 35 diseases to humans and livestock, including rabies, leptospirosis, typhus, spotted fever, lassa fever, polio, meningitis, trichinosis, rat-bite fever, salmonellosis, and hantavirus.
Rats and Rabies
When discussing rodent diseases, it's crucial to address rabies, a viral infection of the central nervous system that affects warm-blooded animals. As rodent populations increase, so does rabies activity. Pet owners should ensure their pets are up to date on their rabies vaccine. Signs of rabies include loss of appetite, fever, aggressiveness, paralysis, unusual crying or howling, drooling of saliva, and eventually seizures, coma, and death. Domestic animals typically succumb within one to five days.
Prevention in humans involves using rabies immune serum after exposure to a suspected rabid animal. Once signs appear, usually two to twelve weeks later, there is no cure or treatment, and the mortality rate is 100%.
The Bubonic Plague
In the 1300s, the bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death, devastated Europe and Asia, claiming around 25 million lives, a third of Europe's population. Symptoms included painful buboes, or lumps, filled with blood that turned black as victims succumbed. In 1894, Dr. Alexandre Yersin identified the cause: the rat flea, which feeds on infected rats and then transfers the plague bacteria to humans through blood meals. The plague bacteria, Yersinia pestis, is named in his honor. While rats didn't directly cause these deaths, they facilitated the spread by providing infected blood to fleas. This disease transmission route mirrors that of Lyme disease, where infected deer ticks transfer the disease from mice and voles to humans. While periodic outbreaks of plague still occur in Asia, antibiotics are now available for treatment.
Prevention is the Best Treatment
One of the best ways to prevent the diseases of rodents from spreading to your household is to prevent them from entering your home. Cowleys Pest Services is your local pest control professional, serving homes in Edison, Lakewood, Somerset, Bridgewater, Brick, Toms River, Old Bridge, Middletown, Princeton Junction, Piscataway and nearby New Jersey. Contact us today for a free consultation.
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